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well known phrases and where they come from................
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:08 pm
by Randall
Re: well known phrases and where they come from.............
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:53 pm
by coombsy48
i got told that the phrase "rule of thumb" came about as there was a law (in england) years ago that let you beat your wife with a stick but it could be no wider than your thumb, ah the good old days
Re: well known phrases and where they come from.............
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 10:09 pm
by M H
Freezing The Balls Off A Brass Monkey!
A brass monkey was a tray that cannon balls were stored on, as the weather got colder the tray would contract and the balls would fall off
Re: well known phrases and where they come from.............
Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 3:39 am
by skweezit
drinking the kool-aid.
the phrase is commonly used in a variety of contexts to describe blind, uncritical acceptance or following
a tasteless reference to the Jonestown massacre, guyana, 1978
Re: well known phrases and where they come from.............
Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 8:59 am
by Randall
coombsy48 wrote:i got told that the phrase "rule of thumb" came about as there was a law (in england) years ago that let you beat your wife with a stick but it could be no wider than your thumb, ah the good old days
hard to believe, but true
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/rule-of-thumb.html
Re: well known phrases and where they come from.............
Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 3:12 pm
by Randall
something matt just posted, phrases we use with no idea why
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/donkeys-years.html
Re: well known phrases and where they come from.............
Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 7:35 pm
by M H
Decimate:
The Roman legions would execute 10% of their soldiers if they were defeated as an example, hence they were decimated
Re: well known phrases and where they come from.............
Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 5:01 pm
by Randall
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/peeping-tom.html
lets face it, if godiva did this nowadays she would like be sectioned!